Baling press



, 8 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor MAXWELL W DAVIDSoN Attorney March 27, 1956 Filed May 22, 1955 March 27, 1956 M. W. DAVIDSON 2,739,749

BALING PRESS Filed May 22, 1953 8 sheets-sheet 2 fc) m55/35 5 29 Inventorf MAXwELw. DAvIDsQN ByL A itam ey MarCh 27, 1956 M W DAVlDSON 2,739,749

BALING PRESS Filed May 22, 1953 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 l: ll

Inventor MAXWELL W. DAW DsoN BY: am

ttorne y March 27, 1956 M. w. DAvn-DSON 2,739,749

BALING PRESS Filed May 22, 1953 a sheets-sheet 4 F/G-7 F/Ga.

Inventor 1 /vmxwELL w, DAVIDSON A Home March 27, 1956 M` w. DAVIDSON BALING PRESS 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 22, 1953 Inventor MAXWELL W. DAVIDSON A itornAey March 27, 1956 M. w. DAvlDsON BALING PRESS 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed May 22, 1953 MAXWELL V- DAVIDSQN Attorney March 27, 1956 M. W. DAVIDSON BALING PRESS B `Sheets-Sham Filed May 22, 1953 F/G/OA.

|| II .l Il

@lll

Inventor'- MAKWE LL W, DAW D50/v Attorney March 27, 1956 M. w. DAVIDSON BALING PRESS 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 Qled May 22, 1955 Inventor MAxw ELL w. DAvlDsa/v A ttorney Unite tates atent 2,739,749 V BALING PRESS Maxwell Wingate Davidson, Galashiels, Scotland, assignor to Sanderson & Murray Limited, Galashiels, Scotland Application May 22, 1953, Serial No. 356,807

7 Claims. (Cl. 226-19) This invention relates to an improved baling press particularly suitable for compressing bulky material into bales.

According to the present invention, the baling press comprises a exible bellows inflatable by fluid pressure,

`conveniently from a compressed air supply source, the

bellows being contained in a well and acting on a ram within the well to press material which is previously filled into the well in the space above the ram into a receptacle or bale covering which is inverted over the well.

The elements of the bellows are preferably tied together at their peripheries by means of canvas loops or other liexible ties which limit the extension of the bellows when inated. The ties between each pair of adjacent bellows elements may be encircled by a llexible band which can be readily made from a length of rope tied at its ends after being passed around the canvas loops.

The elements of the bellows are preferably superposed hollow flexible bags which communicate with each other through central axial apertures, and the ram may be secured to the top of the bellows, which is contained in a well comprising a box or casing confined between a base plate or frame below floor level and a iloor plate or frame having at the working floor level an opening through it which forms a continuation of the inner wall surfaces of the box or casing.

A counter-balanced head frame is adapted to be lowered on to the bale cover or other receptacle into which the material is to be pressed, and when so lowered the head frame is adapted to be detachably connected to a support for the bellows, which is preferably supported on the aforesaid base plate or frame, the latter being connected by means of vertical tie rods or like members to the oor plate or frame. The head frame may be detachably connected to the said tie rods through detachable chains or other tension members. t

The bale cover or other receptacle into which the material is to be pressed may be carried by a trolley which can be removably secured over the well. For instance, when filling substantially cubical bales, the iioor plate or frame would be provided with a rectangular opening through it, and this opening may be bounded on three sides by guides for engaging beneath flanges projecting laterally outwards from the base of a trolley constructed to receive the bale cover in an inverted position.

rl`he accompanying drawings illustrate an example of a press according to the invention suitable for baling textile fibres into jute bales, for instance into bales approximately 3 feet square by 5 feet deep and having a finished weight of approximately 500 pounds.

Figs. l and lA are sectional elevations of the upper and lower parts respectively of the press at the start of the working stroke, showing material loaded into the lilling chamber and showing the jute container (partly cut away) mounted on the trolley frame.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the floor plate or frame.

Fig. 3 is a side view and Fig. 1i a transverse sectional `view of the bellows.

Fig. 5 is a side view and Fig. 6 a plan view of a bale trolley.

Figs. 7 and 8 are side and edge views of a hook plate.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail' sectional view of the bellows elements.

Figs. l0 and 10A are sectional elevations at right angles to Figs. 1 and 1A showing the upper and lower parts respectively of the press at the end of the working stroke and showing the bellows assembly fully inflated under pressure,` and material compressed into the jute container (part of which is cut away). Fig. 10 also shows skewer rods inserted to prevent the material in the jute container falling downwards on the deflation of the bellows.

Fig. 1l is a detail view to a larger scale of a corner of the bale trolley shown in Fig. l0.

The press comprises a cast-iron or other suitable oor plate or rectangular frame l (Figs. 1 and 2) supported on steel I-section beams 2. The floor plate has a square opening vertically through it at 3. Vertical tie rods 4 are bolted vto the floor plate 1 and support a base plate or base frame 5. An open-ended box 6 of square crosssection and which may conveniently be made of plywood and lined withv sheet metal is supported between the lloor plate 1 and base plate 5 and may be reinforced externally at suitably spaced intervals by encircling transverse metal frames. The box 6 forms a weil or casing within which operates a bellows 7 secured at its lower end to the base plate 5 and at its upper end to a ram 8, which may conveniently be made of hardwood. -When the bellows is deliated or being deflated, the space above the ram up to the door level can be filled with the material to be baled. The floor plate l is level at its top face with the level of the working iioor and guides or check bars 9 fcrmingthree sides of a rectangle and secured to the floor serve to receive and locate a bale trolley 10 which supports the open lower end Vof the bale.

The bale trolley shown in Figs. l, 5 and 6 comprises a square metal frame l1 fitted externally on two sides With castor Wheels l2 so that it can be rolled into position and the horizontal projecting flanges 13 of the frame 11 can then be engaged under the check bars 9. A locating bolt 14 (Fig. 6) is fitted to the trolley and drops into a socket in the floor to control a valve (not shown) so that the uid pressure can only iiow to'the bellows when the trolley is correctly positioned. A series of8 flat vertical corner bars i5 are clamped in pairs to the trolley frame 11 by quick-release clamps 16,' each pair being adapted to engage inside one corner of the bale covering 37. Hook plates 1'7 (Figs. 7 and 8) are fitted to two opposite sldes of the trolley and have hooks iti which can be engaged with the material of the bale covering near its open lower end. The hook plates i7' are releasably locked in position by means of locking bolts i9 (Figs. 5 and 6) to hold the open end of the bale covering over the trolley frame. Skewer bars 38 (Figs. l0 and l1) which may be round steel rods, are adapted to be passed through holes 20 in one of the hook plates 17 and into and through correspending holes in the other hook plate. These skewer bars 38 are inserted after the material has been pressed into the bale covering and serve to hold the material in the bale.

A head frame 21 (Fig. 2) is suspended over the well of the press by means of wire ropes 22 passing over pulleys to counteiweights, a winch (not shown) being provided for raising and lowering the head frame which has a rectangular depending iiange 23 for encircling the 4, thus transferring the load from the head frame 21 to the base frame 5.

The bellows 7 consists of a plurality of superposed llexiblehollow bags 2'? cach conveniently made ofvtwo compound rubber fabric sheets secured together at, their edges (Fig. 9). The lowermost bag has a central vaperture in its lower wall closedby a plate 28 having a :central air inlet pipe 29. All the bags are centrally Aapertured and connected together by clamping rings 30 in an airtight manner, and the upper wall of the uppermost bag is closed by means of a sealing plate 31 and is fitted with a safety valve (not shown). T he uppermost bag is also secured centrally and at its periphery to the ram 8. Canvas or other flexible ties or loops 32 are secured to and connect the peripheries of adjacent b ags so that .expansion of the bags is limited to the length of the ties 32, the lowermost bag being anchored by short ties 33. Ropes or other flexible members 34 are threaded hori- *zontally through the ties 32 and 33 and pass around the bellows between 'adjacent bags, the ropes being tied to form bands of a predetermined size.

The ram 8 has transverse grooves 35 in its upper face to enable the skewer bars to be passed through the bale when the grooves 35 in the ram register with the holes 20 in the hook plates 17.

An electric warning device is preferably fitted to the press to indicate when the ram is at the top of its stroke.

Air is supplied to the inlet pipe 29 of the bellows from any convenient compressed air supply source through suitable valve mechanism and an exhaust valve is provided for deliating the bellows.

The method of operation is as follows: The material to be baled is filled into the well formed by the space above the ram in the box 6. The jute or other bale covering is fitted open end downwards over the corner bars 15 of the bale trolley and supported thereby. The bale trolley is then run into position over the well and engaged by the check bars 9 so that the locating bolt 14 drops into position. The bale covering is then fixed by the hook plates 17, whereupon the head frame 21 is lowered and secured by the chains 2S to the tie-rods 4. Compressed air is supplied to the bellows until the material in the well iills the bale when the ram reaches the top of its stroke. The skewer bars are then passed through the hook plates and the bellows allowed to deate when the bale trolley can be released and removed from the press. The bolts 19 and clamps 16 are then released and the bale can be removed from the trolley and the corner bars l withdrawn from the bale and replaced on the trolley frame. The open end of the bale covering can -then be closed and the skewer bars Withdrawn.

AIt will be seen that the bellows, when inflated by fluid pressure, .extends in an axial direction, exerting pressure against the ram which is free to move in the same direction. The bellows is desiged to withstand the lateral pressure normal to the axis of the pressure strokeand may be suitably reinforced against the lateral pressure by edge reinforcement of the rubber bags and by the provision of the canvas loops 32 and encirclingropes 34. .A feature of the press is the small space occupied by the bellows when collapsed. A much greater length of stroke is also obtainable than that possible with a screw or hydraulic cylinder press. The total working load of the press is obtained by the action of the lluidpressure bellows on substantially the whole cross-sectional area ofthe ram. Moreover, the long stroke is obtained without the necessity of providing machined guides for the ram. This is due to the even pressure applied to the ram by the bellows and to the provision of the ties between the lelements of the bellows, these ties assisting to hold the ram perpendicular to the axisof the well.

`Theimproved press is particularly suitable for operating on materials which are bulky in the free state and which require a relatively large compression ratio to reduce the material in bulk for ease of handling, storage and transport.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for packing loose bulk material capable of compression through a large compression ratio into pliable bale covers comprising a well casing arranged to be mounted below floor level, a lloor frame encircling said well casing at door level, iioor girders securing said iloor frame, a base frame supporting the lower end of said casing, rigid tie members connecting said floor frame and base frame, a flexible non-metallic multiple bellows assembly within said casing and supported by said base frame, la ram head secured to the top of said bellows assembly, a bale cover support for an inverted bale cover, means for detachably securing said support over the door frame, a counterbalanced head frame adapted to rest on said bale cover support, tension members detachably connecting said head-frame to said floor frame and means for admitting fluid under pressure to and for permitting the escape of fluid from said bellows to raise orlower the ram head to or from lioor level to compress material in the ywell casing above the ram head into the inverted bale cover held against upward movement by the head frame.

2. Apparatus forpacking loose bulk material by compression through a large compression ratio into pliable bale covers comprising a well casing arranged to be mounted below a working licor level, a flexible multiple bellows assembly in said casing, a ram head surmounting said bellows assembly and vertically movable in said casing'by ination and dellation of said bellows assembly, valve-controlled means for admitting uid under pressure into and for permitting the escape of lluidfrom said bellows assembly, a base frame supporting the base of said bellows assembly, means for supporting a bale cover in an inverted position over said well casing after the filling of the vwell casing above said ram head with the material'to berbaled and before inflating said bellows assembly, a head frame, means for raising said head frame above and for lowering it on to the bale cover, and tie members' for detachably connecting said head frame to-said` base frame to limit upward movement of said head frame and bale cover when filling the bale cover by the admission of fluid to inate said bellows assembly.

3. Apparatusl according to claim 2 including an upper frame at the top of the well casing and forming a continuation of the well defined by said casing, and rigid vertical tie members connecting said upper frame to said base frame.

ymApparatus according to claim 2 in which the tie members for `detach'ably connecting the head'frame'to the..base. frame incorporates flexible sections and means forzdetachably.attaching said flexible sections to said head frame to hold the latter down upon the bale cover during filling thereof.

Apparatus according to'claim 2 wherein the means for. supporting the bale cover comprises a trolley movable upon the working oor, means for holding the bale cover in-.an inverted distended condition on said trolley,.and means for removably securing the trolley over the well casing.

6. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the means for supporting the bale cover comprises a well top frame having a rectangular opening therein above the wellcasing, guides extending along three sides of andspaced slightlyabove said top frame, a trolley incorporating supporting means fory holding av bale cover in an inverted distended condition over a door opening in said trolley. andgflangesextending laterally outwards from the base of said trolley for engaging beneathy said guides to position 'the-trolley with its floor opening and the inverted bale cover over the well casing. n

7. Apparatus according to claim 2 including a well top.

frame having a rectangular opening therein above the well casing,` guides extending along three sides of and spaced slightly above said top frame, a trolley having a rectangular opening in the Hoor thereof, means on said trolley for supporting a bale cover in inverted position over the oor opening in said trolley, and anges extending laterally outwards frorn the base of said trolley for engaging beneath said guides to position the trolley with its floor opening and the inverted bale cover over the well casing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 11,455 Grant Aug. 1, 1854 6 Sargent May 25, 1915 Barrickman Mar. 28, 1950 Cavagnar et al. June 9, 1953 Clegg Jan. 4, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain of 1899 Germany Oct. 4, 1900 Netherlands Oct. l5, 1946 

